Comedian, actor and former Sherwood Park resident Ryan Parker is the co-creator of the sketch comedy television series Caution: May Contain Nuts.

The foundation for the show, which airs on APTN, began circa 2003 when Parker and five of his friends started the sketch comedy group Blacklisted, which grew in popularity as it went from small performances at the Azimuth Theatre to Edmonton's Fringe Festival.

Along with Parker, five of Blacklisted's six members made the jump to Caution: May Contain Nuts as co-writers and actors. The sixth, Aaron Macri, became the show's sound designer.

Parker has been acting since 1999, his final year at Bev Facey high school. "I took drama because I thought it would be the easiest three credits to get out of school," he recalled.

Although the class was initially a means to an end, drama teacher Dawn Sadoway encouraged Parker to take acting seriously.

"She really was very good at her teaching," he said. "She forced me to audition for Grant MacEwan. I wasn't maybe as confident as I should have been in the world, but she urged me - and by 'urged,' she called Grant MacEwan and booked my audition (for the music theatre program). She also helped me learn the (audition's) songs and all that kind of stuff."

He said his parents have also been supportive of him entering into a business that can be less than merciful or financially rewarding.

Eventually Parker graduated from Grant MacEwan College and attended the University of Alberta ,where he received a bachelor of fine arts in acting.

Blacklisted wasn't far behind.

Parker said he's happy that Blacklisted's troupe has stuck together into Caution: May Contain Nuts.

"From the beginning, we started doing it not for money. We were doing it to hang out and be friends," he said.

In his free time away from Caution: May Contain Nuts, Parker moonlights on the ukulele cover band The Be Arthurs.

Initially, the band started as a gag sidewalk performance at the Fringe with friend and Caution: May Contain Nuts comedian Sheldon Elter. The band, which now has Bob Rasko playing a miniature drum set, has performed in Washington, D.C. and will play in Vancouver on the final day of the Winter Olympics. They are also working on an album.

Elter is the man who teamed with production company Mosaic Entertainment to pitch the sketch comedy idea to APTN. "And then we were filming a pilot within three months of that. In the TV world, that's almost unheard of," Parker said.

After the first season's seven episodes, the show was nominated for a Gemini award for best writing in a comedy TV series.

"It was pretty crazy," Parker said of the award ceremony. "We went to it in Calgary and Rick Mercer was there and the Trailer Park Boys ... all the people we grew up idolizing ... it was kind of (an) absurd (experience)."

The show was also nominated for the Canadian Independent Producers Award for best comedy series.

Actor Aimée Beaudoin was also nominated for a Canadian Comedy Award for best actress in a TV show.

The show's second season, which will contain 13 episodes, will begin airing in the spring.

Caution: May Contain Nuts is also going up against Olympic programming, with APTN offering a preview episode on Saturday at 11:30 p.m.